Mechanism for closing a door



May 19, 1970 F; BARR'oERo MECHANISM FOR CLOSING A DOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1968 INVENTOR. LOUIS E BARROERO FIG-1 Q MWFV' ATTORNEYS May 19, 1970 F; BARRoERo 3,512,859

MECHANISM FOR CLOSING A book Filed April 24, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. LOUIS F BARROERO BY miw ATTORNEYS May 19, 1970 F. BARROERO 3,512,359

MECHANISM FOR CLOSING A noon Filed April 24, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG 4 ii Y///////////////// //X INVEN OR. U LOUI F BARROERO AT TO RN EYS May 19, 1970 L. F. BARROERO 3,512,859

MECHANISM FOR CLOSING A DOOR Filed April 24, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. LOUIS F BARROERO BY 1 46 m, Me/r Z/ ATTO RN EYS United States Patent 01 :"fice 3,512,859 Patented May 19, 1970 3,512,859 MECHANISM FOR CLOSING A DOOR Louis F. Barroero, 1585 Daniels Drive, San Leandro, Calif. 94577 Filed Apr. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 723,773 Int. Cl. A47b 49/00 US. Cl. 312-305 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a display case having a plurality of rotating shelves and a door, means are provided for halting the rotation of the shelves when the door is partially opened manually. The door may be then fully opened and is held open by provided means for a short period of time. Then, provided means move the door back to its closed position, the shelves again rotating when the door is so closed.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a door closing mechanism.

In the type of refrigerator display case generally used in supermarkets and the like, it is usually necessary that the door be closed by the person seeking to remove an 'item therefrom. A case of such type creates certain problems since, first of all, the person may not be able to conveniently close the door since he may be holding the items removed and others in his hands. Thus it would be necessary to put down the held items, close the door, and pick up the items again. Secondly, there may be times when a customer, through carelessness or other reason, fails to close the door after he has removed an item from the case. This results in a great amount of heat flowing into the case through the open door, which in turn raises operating costs.

It is an object of this invention to provide a refrigerator display case which has automatic means for holding the door thereof open for a certain period of time, and then closing the door from its open position.

Certain types of such refrigerator display cases incorporate shelves which rotate within the case to display the items placed thereon. A purchaser would clearly find it convenient to have the shelves stop their rotation when the door is opened, so that a chosen item can be easily and conveniently removed from a shelf, without danger of knocking over other items nearby on that shelf.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a refrigerator display case which, while fulfilling the above object, provides automatic means for rotating its shelves when the door thereof is closed, and for halting the rotation of rotating shelves therein when the door is open.

Summary of the invention Broadly stated, applicants case comprises a frame defining an opening. An upright post is fixed relative to the frame. A door is pivotally mounted to a central post and movable about the longitudinal axis of said post to a first position closing the opening and then to a second position allowing access through the opening. A shelf is disposed about the upright post and is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the post independent of the movement of the door. First means are provided for moving the door from its open position toward its closed position after the door has been moved to its open position and has remained there for a period of time. Second means are included for rotating the shelf about the longitudinal axis of the post only when the door is not in its open position, is not being moved to its open position and is not being moved from its open position toward its closed position by the first means.

Brief description of the drawings These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the refrigerator display case;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the drive portion of the device of FIG. 3, showing the shelf drive;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, but showing the door drive;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line 77 of FIG. 6.

Description of the preferred embodiment Generally shown in FIG. 1 is a refrigerator display case 10 having a frame 12 defining an opening 14 and a door 16 of semi-cylindrical configuration. The door 16 is pivotally mounted to a post 18 by means of support arms 20, 22 and is movable about the longitudinal axis of the post 18 to a position closing the opening 14 and to a second or open position allowing access through the opening 14. A plurality of shelves 24 are mounted along post 18 by means best shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in that figure, post 18 has mounted over it a post 18, which has fixed thereto by means of a thumbscrew 19 a shelf mounting flange 26. Fixed to the shelf mounting flange 26 is a shelf 24. A series of such shelf mounting flanges 26 are provided along the length of the post 18' for mounting the shelves 24. Nylon spacers, as at 28, are provided between the posts 18 and 18. Roller bearing 30 is disposed between support arm 20 and post 18' and, with roller bearing 32, on which support arm 20 is mounted, and a similar roller bearing on which support arm 22 is mounted, allows independent movement of the post 18 (and shelves 24 thereon) and door 14 about the longitudinal axis of the post 18.

Shown generally in FIGS. 2 and 3 at 34 is a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism 34 is best shown in FIGS. 4-7 and reference is now made to those figures.

As shown therein, a motor 36 is pivotally mounted to frame 12 by means of bracket 38 and pin 40. Mounted on the shaft 42 of the motor 36 is a wheel 44. The motor 36 is positioned so that the wheel 44 is pivotable with the motor 36 into contact with the perimeter of a shelf 24. There, if the wheel 44 is held against the periphery of shelf 24, and the motor 36 is turned on, the shelf 24, post 18, and all the other shelves 24 will rotate. The motor 36 is geared down to provide a shelf 24 rate of rotation of about /2 rpm.

A spring 46 acts to urge the motor 36 toward the position wherein the wheel 44 contacts the perimeter of the shelf 24 and rotates it and the other shelves 24. This is the normal condition, with door 16 closed. Such rotation takes place as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5.

Fixed to the shaft 42 is a second wheel 48 which rotates therewith. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an arm 50 is fixed to support arm 20 (and thus relative to door 16). As seen therein, the arm is indented adjacent its mounting to support arm 20. When the door 16 is closed, the indentation is most adjacent the wheel 48-, with wheel 44 contacting the perimeter of shelf 24. This condition is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As the door 16 is opened to an extent, arm 50 contacts wheel 48 and pivots motor 36 against the urging of spring 46. Such pivoting results in wheel 44 no longer being in contact with the perimeter of shelf 24 (FIGS. 6 and 7). Spring 46 acts to keep wheel 48 in contact with arm 50'. If the door 16 is moved back to a closed position, the indented portion of arm 50 allows the motor 36, through spring 46, to be pivoted back to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with wheel 44 in contact with the periphery of the shelf 24, and with the wheel 48 no longer in contact with arm 50.

In operation, the door 16 is normally closed, and the shaft 42, and wheels 44 and 48 mounted on it, are rotated in the direction shown by the arrows of FIG. 5. The wheel 44, in contact with the perimeter of shelf 24, rotates the shelves 24 at /2 r.p.m., as described above, in the direction indicated by the arrow. When the door 16 is initially opened, a microswitch (not shown) shuts the motor 36 down. This, of course, stops the rotating of the shelves 24. As the door 16 is opened to its full extent, the motor 36, being shut off, rotates backwards (FIG. 7), due to the fact that the wheel 48 is in contact with arm 50. After a time delay of perhaps 10 seconds, a time delay switch (not shown) starts the motor 36 up. The rotating wheel 48 acts on arm 50 to, in turn, power the door 16 to a closed position. As the door 16 closes, wheel 48 drops into the indented portion of arm 50, and wheel 44 contacts the perimeter of shelf 24, starting against the rotation of the shelves 24.

It may be provided, of course, that if at any time a person attempts to move the door 16 back to its open position after it has started to close, the time delay will start again, the door 16 remaining open for the chosen length of time.

It will be seen that herein is provided a simple and efficient means for closing a door of a refrigerator a certain amount of time after it has been opened, resulting in great convenience to the user and great economy to the owner. This feature, coupled with the halting of rotation of the shelves when the door is opened, results in even greater convenience to the user.

Obviously, the invention can be carried out in many different ways, of which the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative.

I claim:

-1. In a case having a frame defining an opening, and a door mounted relative to the frame and pivotable about an axis to a first position to close the opening, and to a second position to allow access through the opening, the improvement which comprises rotatable means for moving the door from its second position toward its firstposition after the door has been moved to its second position, and wherein are included means for delaying such movement of the door from its second position toward its first position only after a certain time.

2. A case comprising:

(a) a frame defining an opening;

(b) an upright post fixed relative to the frame;

(0) a door pivotally mounted to the post and movable about the longitudinal axis of the post to a first position closing the opening and to a second position allowing access through the opening;

(d) a shelf disposed about the upright post, and rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the post independent of the movement of the door;

(e) first means for moving the door from its second position toward its first position after the door has been moved to its second position and has remained there for a period of time; and

(f) second means for rotating the shelf about the longitudinal axis of the post only when the door is not in its second position, is not being moved to its second position, and is not being moved from its second position toward its first position by the first means.

3. A case according to claim 2 wherein the second means comprises a rotating motor having a wheel on its drive shaft, the motor being pivotally held relative to the frame to a position wherein the wheel contacts the perimeter of the shelf and rotates it, and to a position wherein the Wheel is removed from the perimeter of the shelf and does not rotate it, and resilient means for urging the motor toward the positionwherein the wheel contacts the perimeter of the shelf and rotates it.

4. A case according to claim 3 wherein the first means comprises the rotating motor and a second wheel on the drive shaft, and an arm fixed relative to the door and configured to contact the second wheel only when the door has been moved to a small extent from its first position to its second position, such contact between the arm and second wheel resulting in pivoting of the motor relative to the frame against the resilient means to an extent sulficient to remove the first-mentioned wheel from the perimeter of the shelf, and means for shutting down the motor when the door is first opened and for a chosen period of time, the second wheel thereafter moving the arm to move the door from its second toward its first position.

5. A case according to claim 4 wherein the resilient means comprises a spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,070 5/1951 Wood 312-- 2,588,563 3/1952 Paul 312-238 X 2,63 8,400 5/1953 Spotts 312-305 2,673,778 3/1954 Wood 3l2-125 2,698,776 l/1955 Stoeckl 312-238 3,060,361 10/ 1962 Purdy 49--30 X 3,429,073 2/1969 Tucker 4930 X JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

